"Battle Imminent" Topic

Mechelin –July 1815 as part of my 'After Waterloo' campaign.

Today's Waterloo Campaign game is set up and ready to go.
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A French force under Davout is attempting to seize the crossings at Mechelin before Lord Hill's Anglo-Hanoverian forces can concentrate. The battlefield is dominated by a stream crossed by two bridges, with a village on one flank and enclosed farmland on the other.

The game is being fought using 'Valour & Fortitude'. Both sides have substantial reserves which will arrive later in the battle, so the initial deployment shown here is only part of the story.

The French are generally on the left of the photographs, the Allies on the right. Troops on the white trays are reserves awaiting their moment to enter the battlefield.

Before the first turn is played, what would be your plan?

Would you:

Concentrate on the central bridge?
Attempt a flank march towards the northern crossing?
Fight a delaying action and wait for reserves?
Launch an immediate attack before the enemy can react?

I'll post a battle report after the game and we'll see whose plan would have worked best!

"The French are generally on the left of the photographs, the Allies on the right. "

That's on the second photo. Reverse on the third.

If I were Davout, I would attack to seize the bridge on the right, while screening my left with cavalry and horse artillery. Reasons for attacking on the right:
(1) The hedge at the crossing site offers some cover to troops in column approaching the bridge, and to my tirailleurs screening the crossing;
(2) the small woods on the far side of the right-hand bridge would slightly interfere with British deployment and counterattack possibilities, and also offers an natural "final objective" for my leading attacking infantry;
(3) presuming that my reinforcements will arrive on the road to my rear, they will be closest to the bridge on the right, and also by attacking there I will open up space for these reinforcements to shake out into battle order;
(4) the cavalry/horse artillery force will be similarly screened by the hedge near the northern bridge while they perform their screening mission, and if the British make no attempt to cross there but commit their reserves to the south the cavalry can dash across and secure the northern crossing.

Thank you for the "Battle Problem"! A welcome and underutilized sort of posting to TMP – they were always one of my favorite pages in the old "Wargamer's Digest".